UN International Clean Air for Blue Skies Day
United Nations (UN) International Clean Air for Blue Skies Day is celebrated annually on 07 September, after its designation by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019. Now in its fourth year, the #TogetherForCleanAir campaign, whose observance is facilitated by the UN Environment Progamme (UNEP), stresses the importance of clean air and the urgent need for efforts to improve air quality to protect human health.
Air pollution (ambient and household) is considered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the greatest environmental risk to health, an its effects are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually. According to the WHO in 2019, '99% of the World’s population lived in places where the thresholds recommended in the WHO air quality guidelines were not met.'
Air quality and emissions from transport
Air pollutant emissions from transport are a main contributor to air quality problems in Europe. The Zero Pollution Action Plan sets the 2030 target of improving air quality, with a focus on PM2.5, in order to reduce the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution in the EU by a minimum of 55%, relative to those in 2005.
In Ireland, the EPA reported that the transport sector was the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and accounted for 19.1% of Ireland's overall GHG emissions. When run on fossil fuels, cars and other vehicles produce a range of pollutants including particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), unburnt hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO), each of which are harmful to human heath and the health of the environment. Air pollution knows no boarders, and to tackle this global issue, there is an urgent need for stronger partnerships, increased investment and shared responsibility from governments, organisations, institutions, society and individuals.
How can you help beat air pollution?
Students and staff at TU Dublin can take individual action to improve our local air quality by choosing to travel actively, sustainability and make fewer journeys by car. Our most recent TU Dublin National Transport Authority (NTA) Staff and Student Smarter Travel Survey, showed that 89% of students, and 56% of staff, travelled to campus sustainably or actively in 2022. By travelling to campus sustainably or by active travel, students, staff, and the surrounding communities have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of better air quality, improved health and well-being, and a safer environment around the campus. These actions work toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 13: Climate Action.
We know from the research undertaken that 83% of survey respondents agreed that they would like to use sustainable transport to reduce their impact on the environment. So if you are not already doing so, consider how you could make your commute more sustainable - our TU Dublin campuses are well connected by public transport links including Dublin Bus, LUAS, DART, and Iarnród Éireann train services with linkages to walk and cycle to campus. TU Dublin also has over 2,200 bike parking spaces and has shower and changing facilities within all campus locations. As partners on the NTA Smarter Travel for Campus programme, we encourage all of our people to engage in sustainable travel - find and event or initiative to take part in.
Action research at TU Dublin
On 11 September 2023, The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, announced the projects that are participating in the Sustainable Communities Challenge as part SFI National Challenge Fund. The fund sees researchers work on eight crucial topics aimed at helping Ireland prepare for its green transition and digital transformation.
One such project is CRAWL - (A Campus' Role as Actors in Walkable and Liveable Communities), led by Sustainability Action Research & Innovation Lead, Dr Lorraine D'Arcy, and School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Lecturer, Dr Eoin McGillicuddy.
The CRAWL project will work with communities of practice as well as communities of residents and campus users to co-create meaningful and relevant solutions towards improving the local areas to be more walkable and liveable. This project aims to develop a programme of engaged action research using TU Dublin’s three campuses and their surrounding communities. The project will examine several important metrics that influence the walkability and livability of the study locations, these will include numerous personal, societal, socio-economic, planning, and environmental metrics. Amongst the environmental metrics to be investigated is air quality.
Potential project actions could also include, for example
- the development of the campus as a recreational destination – a place to go for a walk,
- schemes to increase permeability to the campus through quiet routes for walking and cycling, good quality road crossings, safe overlooked routes,
- opportunities for staff and students to get involved in community initiatives to build social cohesion and trust between the campus community and surrounding communities (i.e. community gardens, adopt a granny, rent a room).